Nox finally reached the spot, his lungs burning as he gasped for air. He stumbled to a stop, leaning over with his hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath. ’Was this place always this far?’ he thought.
He looked up and saw Serian sitting on the ledge of a low, ruined wall. She was kicking her feet back and forth like a little kid, a smug, amused smile on her face.
"I was beginning to wonder if you had gotten lost." She tilted her head, her expression one of pure victory. "You took your ti."
He straightened up, still breathing hard. "Yeah, well, you cheated." He knew she hadn’t, but he had to say sothing.
Up ahead, not too far off, was the city center. It looked completely untouched by the chaos. The buildings were tall and clean, and he could see people walking around in nice clothes. It looked like a whole different world, the kind of place where rich people lived.
"So," he said, finally getting his breathing under control. "What’s the prize? You won, so what do you want?"
She hopped off the wall, a playful look in her eyes. "Hmm, let think." She tapped a finger on her chin, pretending to consider it deeply. "You must... tell sothing you are afraid of."
He just stared at her. ’Seriously? That’s what she wants?’ He had expected her to ask for his sword or make him do sothing stupid. This felt... different. More personal than he liked.
"That’s a weird prize," he said, kicking at a loose rock on the ground.
"You agreed," she reminded him, her smile not fading. "No questions asked. But I am rciful. You do not have to tell now. I will claim my prize later."
He just grunted in response. ’Later, whatever. Gives ti to think of sothing that isn’t the actual truth.’
They started walking towards the clean-looking part of the city. The contrast was strange, going from busted-up streets to perfectly paved roads. People here were walking around like nothing had happened, so of them even laughing.
"This place is weird," he muttered, looking at a woman in a fancy dress walking a small dog.
"It feels... protected," Serian observed, her own gaze scanning the area. Her earlier playfulness was gone, replaced by her usual cautious watchfulness. "The air is different."
As they got deeper in, Nox started seeing more people who didn’t look like they belonged in a fancy neighborhood. He saw a guy with a huge axe slung over his back, and a group of people in mismatched armor arguing about sothing near a fountain.
’Players,’ he thought. ’Or whatever they’re calling themselves. This must be so kind of hub.’ He started looking around, not just at the new people, but for familiar faces. ’Where are they? Did they even make it?’
Serian noticed him looking around, his focus no longer on their imdiate surroundings but on the crowds. "You are searching for your allies, are you not?"
He glanced at her, surprised she’d picked up on it so quickly. "Yeah," he admitted. "The girls I was with at the school. Told them to et here."
"The ones you are... soul-linked with?" she asked, her voice quiet.
He stopped walking and looked at her. ’How the hell does she know about that?’ He hadn’t said a word. The System didn’t show that stuff to other people. Did it?
"How do you know that term?" he asked, his voice low and serious.
She seed to realize she’d said sothing she shouldn’t have. "My people... we are sensitive to such bonds," she explained, not quite eting his eyes. "I can feel the connection you share with them. It is faint, but it is there. A thread of loyalty and... sothing more."
He just watched her for a long mont, processing that. ’She can feel it? That sounds creepy.’ It made him feel exposed, like she could see things about him he couldn’t.
"Don’t go reading my mind, princess," he said, his voice flat. He started walking again.
"It is not a matter of reading your mind," she said, easily keeping pace with him. "It is like seeing a color. It is simply... there."
He didn’t reply. They walked further into the district, the crowds getting thicker. There was a large, open square ahead, and a big crowd was gathered around a massive electronic billboard on the side of a building. It wasn’t showing ads, but scrolling lists of nas and numbers.
’What’s all that about?’ He thought, steering them in that direction. As they got closer, he could make out the text on the screen.
[Bounty Board]
[Target: Gorok the Defiler - 50,000c]
[Target: Sludge Beast (Anomaly) - 15,000c]
[Target: The rcenary ’Lola’ - 20,000c]
He saw Lola’s na and his eyes narrowed. ’So she’s got a price on her head too. Interesting.’
Serian’s eyes fixed on the na ’Gorok the Defiler’. Her breath hitched, just a little. ’He is known even in this world,’ she thought. ’This changes things. The danger is greater than I imagined.’
She turned to Nox, her mood was serious. "Nox," she said, her voice low and urgent. "We must leave this place. Now."
"Yeah, this crowd’s a bit much," he agreed. "And it’s getting late. We can pick up the search for your fan club, and my girls, tomorrow."
They pushed their way out of the throng of people, moving away from the bright lights of the bounty board. The streets were getting darker as evening settled in.
"We need a place to stay for the night," Serian stated, her gaze sweeping their surroundings.
"Yeah, about that," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. "I’m, uh, a little short on cash right now."
Serian stopped and looked at him. "Short on... cash?" she repeated, the term unfamiliar.
"Broke," he clarified. "No money. Zilch." He jangled his empty pockets for emphasis.
She tilted her head, her pointy ears twitching just a little. "Are you referring to currency?" she asked, her voice calm.
’Is she ssing with or just really dense?’ he thought. "Yeah, money. To pay for a room."
She reached into a small, embroidered pouch at her belt he hadn’t noticed before. She fumbled inside it for a mont, then pulled out a shiny gold coin. It looked old and had strange symbols on it.
"Will this be sufficient for our lodging?" she offered it to him, her palm flat.
He stared at the coin. It was thick and heavy-looking.
"...The hell is that?"
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